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November 19, 2025

Senesi confirmed for Nitro Party 2026

Attracting huge interest following last month’s announcement of its ‘Nitro Party’ onroad nitro race, the brand new Hongyu GDC RC facility in China has confirmed its first international entry with news that 1:8 GT Specialist Natanaele Senesi will travel to Foshan for the January 24-25 race. The 2024 European Champion and World Championship podium finisher will race his Senesi Motorsport cars in both the 1:8 Nitro GT and 1:8 eGT categories on the 80m X 43m asphalt circuit which will host the 2026 IFMAR ISTC World Championships next April. With a number of top European drivers expected to join Senesi for the inaugural ‘Nitro Party’, the timing of the race is the perfect opportunity for European nitro racers to break-up the traditional Winter off season and compete at an event that Hongyu GDC intends to build up into a major annual event on the international nitro onroad race calendar. With Hongyu GDC bringing a world class facility to the Asia, there has be a massively positive response to the race within the regions’s nitro onroad community with a large Hong Kong entry set to make up the expected capacity entry. With the track within walking distance of a number of hotel options, drivers have the option to race for glory in 1:8 Nitro Onroad, 1:8 Nitro GT, 1:8 eGT, 1:10 Nitro Touring Car, and Spec Kyosho FW06 Nitro Touring Car.

Source: Hongyu GDC [Facebook]

November 17, 2025

Inaugural Asia 1:8 GT Nitro C/ship – Announcement

Continuing its roll out of Asia Championship title races, FEMCA has announced the inaugural 1:8 Nitro GT Championship for 2026. The Far East Model Car Association (FEMCA), the governing body for RC racing that represents 15 nations in Asia and Australasia, has awarded the first 1:8 GT title race to the very impressive X-RC Complex in Lam Dong, Vietnam. An event that crowns the ‘Champion of Asia’, while titled the Asia 1:8 GT Nitro Championship, alongside the nitro cars the event will also cater for Electric GT. With GT crowning only its third World Champion this year in Chile, Raptor/Gimar driver Alessio Mazzeo doing the double, the first Asian Champions are set to be crowned between July 17-19th, 2026. FEMCA will publish further details on the championship in due course.

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November 10, 2025

Takahata takes MRX7 to JMRCA Japanese National title

With Mugen Seiki having only officially released their latest 1:8 Onroad Chassis at the end of last month, their factory driver Shouki Takahata gave the Robert Pietsch designed MRX7 its first major title by winning the 2025 JMRCA 1:8 Onroad Japanese National Championship. With a field stacked with World Champions, it was the 2019 World Champion secured the TQ at the K2 International Circuit ahead of multiple World Champion Naoto Matsukura while Infinity team-mate & defending Champion Takaaki Shimo ended up 3rd. While the Top 2 directly went to the 45-minute final, Shimo and 1:12 World Finalist Hayato Ishioka won the Semi finals to progress along with the other 6 drivers to make up the Main grid. In the final Takahata would take back he last held in 2024 with his Max powered MRX7 setting the fastest lap on his way to the win with the rest of the podium a repeat of last year – Matsukura second and double Nitro Onroad World Champion Tadahiko Sahashi third from 5th on the grid. Unfortunately Shimo would retire from the final just before the half way point. For Takahata the result is a nice boost ahead of the upcoming IFMAR 1:8 Onroad World Championships in Santiago, Chile.

Image: Mugen Seiki [Facebook]

November 10, 2025

Asian Buggy Championships announce 2026 calendar

With their new 2025 Champion Kouki Kato taking a thrilling win at the Sunpadow International Grand Prix in China over the weekend, the organisers of the Team Cayote Asian Buggy Championships have announced the venues & dates for the 2026 Championship. Set to enter into its fourth season, the 1:8 Offroad championship will again consist of 4-rounds that visit four countries across the Asia-Pacific region, including three returning tracks and one new destination. Again the ‘ABC’ will kick off in New Zealand, the opening round set for the end of February/start of March. With the championship growing out of Asia’s most famous annual offroad race, the Philippine Masters, after the hugely popular Circulo Verde track closed following the 2025 edition, the Philippines will opt out of the schedule for 2026 with racers instead travelling to new territories and the LAP Paradise RC Raceway in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, for Round 2. Attracting its biggest international entry this year, Pine Hills Dirt Racing track in Brisbane, Australia, hosts Round 3 in the middle of July. The championship, which has enjoyed growth each season, will then conclude at West Side RaceWay in Jakarta, Indonesia, which proved a massive hit with racers on its ABC debut. With championship points accrued across all four races, the best three of four rounds will crown the 2026 champions. Details on race entry, including classes for each round, will be announced shortly.

View 2026 Calendar here

November 9, 2025

Kato takes thrilling last lap SIGP victory in China

Infinity’s Kouki Kato has just taken one of the most exciting wins of his career, the Japanese driver winning the Sunpadow International Grand Prix after a thrilling last lap duel with Top Qualifier & majority race leader David Ronnefalk following 45-minutes of racing around the very challenging 3 Circles track in Xiamen. With Chinese host track of the 2017 1:10 Offroad World Championships famed for its challenging bumpy conditions, it looked like Ronnefalk had taken control of the race with the main battle being for second place between Kato and his team-mate Bruno Coelho. However a track that even the world’s best respect as being one of the most challenge there is, it didn’t take much for Ronnefalk’s lead to be eroded. Passed by Kato on lap 56 of 80, the 19-year-old with hold the former World Champion at bay for 9-laps until a mistake with 7-minutes remaining, the local crowd invested in the racing and providing exciting audio as the leading drivers fell foul of track conditions. Back in front and with the clock ticking down, Ronnefalk would again get tripped up by the track on the penultimate lap. Coming of the main straight side by side to start the final lap, just as the computer signalled the finish of the 45-minutes, the pair took the jump on to the back straight and touched in the air both buggies tumbling but Kato having the better luck landing on his wheels. While Ronnefalk tried to get back in touch over the remainder of the 34-seconds lap it wasn’t to happen and Kato took the win, the crowd appreciative of the thrilling finish. Behind, by over 8-seconds, it was once again Coelho, winner of the eBuggy finals, who completed the nitro podium while Pekko Iivonen and Jung Hyunkyu were best of the rest in fourth & fifth.

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November 8, 2025

Ronnefalk is Top Qualifier at SIGP as Coelho takes Q5

David Ronnefalk is the Top Qualifier at the 2025 Sunpadow International Grand Prix, the Xray driver securing his direct stop in tomorrow’s 45-minute Main in Xiamen, China, thanks to his outright fastest TQ run in the penultimate qualifier. With it all to play for going into the fifth & final qualifier, Ronnefalk and Infinity’s Kouki Kato both having two TQ runs each and a second, neither would be able to deliver a third TQ run. Instead that would come from Bruno Coelho, the Infinity driver appearing to have finally found his way just in time for finals. After a trouble start to the day, with Q2 & 3 becoming throw outs, Pekko Iivonen was another to conclude qualifying on a positive as he set the second fastest time in Q5 with his Mayako. Overall while Ronnefalk doesn’t have the worry of Semi finals, the TQ secured on the tiebreak, in the final qualifying order it was Kato who ended up second to give the Japanese driver pole in the second of the 25-minute Semis, while Coelho’s 3rd overall means he lines up on pole for the first Semi. Iivonen’s strong finish to the day bumped him up to 4th ahead of leading Team Associated contender Jung Hyunkyu while Jason Nugroho made it three Infinity IFB8s in the final Top 6 qualification ranking.

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November 8, 2025

Ronnefalk delivers in Q3 at SIGP

David Ronnefalk has delivered a TQ run at the Sunpadow International Grand Prix, the Xray driver ending Kouki Kato’s reign at the top pf the time sheets as he took the third round ahead of the Japanese driver and his Infinity team-mate Bruno Coelho. Setting the fastest lap of the round with a 32.725, Ronnefalk would eventually finish a massive 13-seconds up on Kato who, like Ronnefalk the previous round, needed to be marshalled only in Kato’s case he had double the mistakes on each opposite side of the track. With drivers reporting track conditions as even more difficult for Q3, Coelho also had two bad laps resulting in him failing to run 15-laps however overall the time still gave him a three for the round. 5-seconds behind the multiple class World Champion, promising future hope Jung Hyunkyu enjoyed his best round result with P4 for the Team Associated teenager ahead of Mayako’s Joseph Quagraine. Unfortunately for JQ’s lead driver Pekko Iivonen it was another throw away round as he lasted just over 2-minutes before his engine moved.

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November 8, 2025

SIGP Day 2 qualifying opens with another Kato TQ run

Day 2 of qualifying at the SIGP in China has opened with Infinity’s Kouki Kato laying down another TQ run, the Japanese driver carrying the form that saw him top seeding and Q1 yesterday into another very hot day in Xiamen. Managing to better his Q1 time by 3.5 seconds, Kato would lead an Infinity 1-2 as Bruno Coelho set the second fastest time 2.5-seconds adrift of his team-mate. Having opened qualifying with a P2 yesterday evening, David Ronnefalk looked to be close to challenging Kato this morning but on his fuel stop in lap his edgy looking Xray crashed and needing to be marshalled he lost over 7-seconds to drop back to record the third fastest time. After his P4 in Q1, round 2 would end up being a throw away for Pekko Iivonen, the Mayako driver entering the pits with caution after yesterday’s timing issues but finding a new bump that caused him to crash which he then followed up with a far more spectacular crash exiting the pits. This allowed Indonesian Infinity driver Jason Nugroho to record the fourth fastest time ahead of Team Associated’s young Korean talent Jung Hyunkyu with Mr. Mayako Joseph Quagraine completing the Top 6.

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